Support Sarcoma Research in Adam's Memory
Donation protected
Dear Friends,
My older brother Adam was known and loved for his altruism, kind heart, and positive, funny spirit. He was always driven by a deep desire to help people in need and would drop everything to make people around him feel better. He was a paramedic for 7 years, starting his formation at the age of 11 while in middle school as an extracurricular activity. His colleagues, friends and family described Adam as warm and motivated to make people feel safe and taken care of. In recognition of this, Adam was named one of the "People of the Year" by a Hannover-based newspaper in 2019 (https://www.neuepresse.de/lokales/hannover/adam-mekkaoui-alaoui-der-freiwillige-retter-VHNH7BCSC7BAF6FPD2TXQTA2T4.html).
He was a great older brother to me and my two younger siblings. I am deeply grateful for the example by which he led, always bringing the best out of other people. I am immensely proud to tell people about my older brother, unique and passionate, always friendly and looking to help. I fondly remember occasions on which we would be outside and upon seeing people in distress, whether medical or otherwise, Adam would step in to help. One of these was only a month before he passed away when on one of our nightly walks we saw from afar a person who was lying on the floor. While I assumed that that person may just have fallen asleep, Adam, without hesitating, ran towards them and tended to them while calling an ambulance and making sure they were in safe hands until the ambulance would arrive. For Adam, there were no working times, his passion to help people was permanent and not defined by his schedule.
On September 13th, Adam passed away from an Epithelioid Sarcoma, at the age of 24, after a fast spread of the disease. For the occasion of his 25th birthday on December 3rd, I would like to ask you for your help in raising some funds to honour Adam’s innate willingness to help others feel better, also through medicine. The funds will be donated towards supporting research of this type of cancer.
Epithelioid Sarcoma's are among the rarest types of cancer, making up less than 1% of soft-tissue sarcomas, which themselves make up approximately 1% of diagnosed cancers, and particularly affect young adults. There is a high relapse rate for this cancer, which results in poor long-term surviving rates, only worsened when the cancer spreads past the original lesion. You can find more information on this disease on the following websites:
The goal for this fundraiser is 200 Euros, donate only if you have 5 Euros to spare to help this important endeavour. Most importantly, because I know that this is what Adam would have wanted, please only donate if you have the means and few Euros to spare to support the continued fight against this type of cancer.
The money will be donated to a specialised section of the Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionali Tumori, based in Milan and focused on research and treatment of Epithelioid Sarcomas. This center is among the leading centers in Sarcoma research and treatment in Europe. Although Adam was not being treated in Italy, the center offered to receive Adam's diagnostic reports and to support his treatment with advice without expecting anything in return
I would therefore like to call on you all to support this donation that is so reflective of Adam's nature as a person and a brother, always wanting to help. It would therefore mean the world to me if you can help him make an impact even though he is no longer with us.
Thank you so much.
Organizer
Ayman Mekkaoui Alaoui
Organizer
The Hague
